First Trip - Spoiled by Street Sellers

talbot

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Sep 23, 2005
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We have just returned from our first trip to the DR.

We stayed on the North Coast in one of the Playa Dorada hotels which was fine but we spent most of our days outside the hotel seeing as much of the north of the island as possible.

You have a beautiful island with lots to offer tourists. However, our holiday was spolied by the incessant pestering of street and beach vendors.

I know these guys are trying to make a living but it gets too much! How many times and in how many ways do you have to say no before these guys leave you alone? And in many cases walking away doesnt help - they either follow you or grab your arm.

Sosua was probably the worst for this - constantly stopped in the street, on the beach, accosted in bars and restaurants etc. Cabarete almost as bad and even around Playa Dorada itself we were stopped but less so.

We even had occasions were we had got into a taxi, agreed the fare and were about to pull away when guys stopped our taxi to sell us other taxi or tour guide firms. Whats that all about?

We had read these boards before we went and there were many messages that a firm no thanks would do the trick. In some cases it did - but be warned first timers that in an equal number of cases it doesnt work.
We loved the island guys - but wont be back - it was too much for us and spoiled our holiday. I dont want to be physically or verbally accosted every time i walk around a place. Not my idea of a relaxing time.No wonder most of the AI guest stay in their hotels.
 

yasmin

Member
Jun 16, 2005
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One advice: don't plan any other holiday to Tunesia, Turky, Marocco, Egypt or any other country where the local people are poor and try to make a living by selling things to the (rich) tourists.
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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talbot said:
I dont want to be physically or verbally accosted every time i walk around a place. Not my idea of a relaxing time.No wonder most of the AI guest stay in their hotels.

Get some balls and tell them to piss off. They know when you mean it. You better stick to holidays inside AI's only or in maybe Dubuque or Peoria because the developing world has beggars and touts everywhere, and you just have to live with it. In the DR even the customs guys are panhandlers.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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While some of our residents here on DR1 might get on our case

And, I have to admit that my initial impression was: "My aren't we touchy?"

I am sorry that you didn't read all of the advice: make those darn bracelets so loose you can take them off!! Dress like normal people: slacks shoes shirts.

And let it be known that if you had ventured to Santiago, you would have enjoyed a rather peaceful day of walking the busy streets, without hindrence or molestations.

Pity. Of course you can always go to Punta Cana and stay cooped up in an AI over there. There isn't much to see there anyway.

Oh yes, I do have a question: Where are you from? Must be English or UK??
You really do come off like a twit, you know.


HB :D:D:D
 
Sep 19, 2005
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I can second the original post and a few follow ups. I had a guy working me hard on the island off Samana....he really didnt have anything that stirred interest. But I let my girl make her own decisions on what she wanted and if she wanted anything...We joked and seemed to get along fine as he kept dropping his rediculous prices... from 1200 pesos to 400 in 15 minutes....... I went to the bathroom and left her to deal with him, he was done and tried to hit me up on my way back to the chairs, but i said if she didnt buy anything then she didnt want anything.... when i got back , she was upset... the guy basically callled her a whore, because she didnt buy anything, and she was with an american. that was the third time that day the native animals let their trash tounge loose, towards her because she was with me. man things were gonna get ugly fast...but I kept my cool. I ddnt have my wallet when I went to the bathroom, and the young lady there who "sold" the toilet paper for the lid----less toilets!!!!!!!!!!!! was quiet and polite.. and pointed to the paper next to the bowl of 10 peso bills and change... I told her I didnt have my wallet and would come back to give her a tip...I got the look she didnt believe me. Sooooooooo on my way back with wallet in hand the jerk who idssed my girl has a ballllllllzzzzz to come up thinking I am gonna buy something.... I told him your an azzhole and Im giving the lady at the tiolet his 400 pesos....cause it aint about the stupid money....its about being rude...... But on a side note.....I went to Sosua beach 5 times in the last 2 trips and all the walking vendors took my no thanks great and right away....no problem at all there...even the shop vendors didnt give more than a few come on , "please check out my shop"... and none mouhted off about my girl.. although one offered to trade 2 of his girlfreinds for mine. That was back in June and i told him, no thanks and that i was still working at securing up my Novio status, !!!!!!!!!!! I will say that the Sosua shops really really try to rip you off..... they always start at 5 times what they will eventually take.........As far as Santiago... its a great place to shop...lots of stores close, no pressure, lots and lots of women...you want to see 100s of great looking women spend 3 hours walkign those streets in and out of shops, and you will be numb by they amount of beautiful women you see.....in every class.........bob
 

joecanada

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Jan 15, 2004
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wow

This thread, more than any other, illustrates the sort of attitude that contributes to the fact that the small-town tourism model is struggling in the face of mega ai destinations.

An actual visitor comes on the board and posts why it is he won't be coming back and so far all the responses are about why he's in the wrong.

I know this should be pretty basic stuff, but travellers have a choice in where they vacation and spend their dollars. If you want travellers to come to towns like sosua, cabarete and the like instead of just to the ai-complex-destinations like punta cana (or worse, the ai-complex-destinations of Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica etc) you have to make the destination attractive to the tourists, not the tourist attractive to the destination.

This idea that everyone should be able to do whatever they want, sell whatever they want and in whatever manner they want without regard for the long-term effect this has on the image of the destination (and by logical extension, the marketability of the destination) is short-sighted.

Many business owners in Sosua, for example, are concerned about the lack of tourists going out for dinner, buying in their shops, etc and I don't blame them a bit. But if we want a vibrant local economy outside the ai's, we have to present an environment wherin our guests can feel comfortable walking around, not blame our guests for being too touchy about being approached by vendors, timeshare salesmen, shoeshine boys, hookers, beggers etc.

If visitors really wanted to be constantly pestered by sales people, shoe shine boys, hookers, and the like, then why isn't that a service offered in the larger hotels? One would think that the evil empire of AI's would have clued in to the fact that there's so much money to be made out of the tourists this way and hired droves of vendors, shoeshine boys, braid ladies etc to wander around the pools. Maybe they don't do it because they realize it will kill their business within a year. If it doesn't fly IN the resorts, what makes people think it's suddently so much better OFF the resorts?

Of course, in the short term, it's nice to think that the insistant vendors bothering the tourist so badly that the tourist won't come back is just feeding his family. But in the medium term, that's one less repeat tourist. In the long term, the destination gets a rep for this sort of thing and loses much of its appeal, leaving us stuck selling the destination based on low price instead of high-service and attracting the type of client who books ai and comes with $20 in his pocket for rum and cigarettes to bring home. How is this helping the local economy?

Of course, many will hold the opinion that we can attract in droves the sort of guests who will come year-round with tonnes of extra money for dining out, shopping in nice shops, etc while at the same time pestering them with constant sales pitches of one sort or another. My response to that is only to ask: how's that been working out so far?

No doubt many on this board will disagree with me on this point, and a few will even indulge in the sort of personal attacks that generally follow anyone who questions the status quo, and that's ok -- everyone has a right to their opinion (even when it's wrong) and I've long since given up trying to change minds on this or any forum.

To the original poster, thanks for your feedback, and I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your stay enough to come back. It's truly too bad, because this country and it's people have a lot to offer. Oftentimes when you're based in a strictly tourist location like Playa Dorada (or even Sosua sometimes) even when you get out it's hard to get out of the tourist mold. There's so much to see and experience in this country that goes on 'off the reservation', but it takes a bit of an adventurous spirit to find it.
 

MrMike

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Mar 2, 2003
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If you're to big a woos to deal with a pushy salesperson you shouldn't leave your house, let alone your country, and by no means the AI.

No wonder the terrorists were able to kill thousands of people armed only with boxcutters.

My country has truly become the land of the soft.
 

Music

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Apr 19, 2002
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I never had a truly bad experience with vendors.
I would say in Sosua some of the vendors were a bit much sometimes One day I walked along the beach avoiding any eye contact with them, some did see me and were yelling for me to come over lol I did explain to the Sosua vendors that I really couldn't afford to buy from all of them, if I could I would. I would buy from whoever had what I was looking for. The would smile and laugh!
One time in Cabarete they were constatly trying to sell me stuff on the beach and I do get tired of it I just wanted to relax.
I do understand they are trying to make some money and I do buy stuff but I honestly can't buy from every vendor.

But it wouldn't stop me from ever going to the DR there is so much more to the DR it's not all about vendors trying to sell you stuff to make money.

Besides it's not North America in the DR so you should take that into consideration. The DR is beautiful!!
 

rellosk

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Mar 18, 2002
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Joecanada, truly a great well-thought, well-written post. You hit the nail on the head. If tourism is to grow and succeed, the DR must make the tourist comfortable, otherwise the tourists will go elsewhere where they are more comfortable. While I don't mind the aggressive street/beach vendors, street walkers, and beggars; the average tourists are not comfortable with them.

Hopefully, some of the DR1 members that own businesses in Sosua will read your post and come to the same conclusion as you.

One would think that local businesses, through the Chamber of Commerce could pressure local government into making small changes to attract tourists to leave the AI's and spend more money in Sosua.
 

MrMike

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rellosk said:
Joecanada, truly a great well-thought, well-written post. You hit the nail on the head. If tourism is to grow and succeed, the DR must make the tourist comfortable, otherwise the tourists will go elsewhere where they are more comfortable. While I don't mind the aggressive street/beach vendors, street walkers, and beggars; the average tourists are not comfortable with them.

Hopefully, some of the DR1 members that own businesses in Sosua will read your post and come to the same conclusion as you.

One would think that local businesses, through the Chamber of Commerce could pressure local government into making small changes to attract tourists to leave the AI's and spend more money in Sosua.

Yes let's make the DR a huge indoor air conditioned shopping mall and use Haiti for the parking lot.

Make all the tourists feel like they are home, to the point where they wonder why they spent money to travel at all.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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I will agree with JoeCanada on this one. I'm Dominican and even I get annoyed sometimes with these people. It is a reason why most times I stay away from places like Boca Chica and Sosua and prefer places like Playa Rincon in Samana. As an example I was there a few months back and went to Playa De Los Gringos in Nagua (hardly a tourist spot). As soon as I drove in and they saw a Jeepeta there are like 20 little kids and about 10 adults running afte me asking for money, and trying to sell me all kinds of stuff I didn't want. I said NO...fine...But the little kids just kind of stood around staring at us. How can you enjoy yourself in this situation? I can only imagine how something like this might frazzle a tourist that's not accustomed to seeing this.

Politur needs to do its job and make sure tourists are not pestered, if we want to continue to depend on tourism as a large part of our industry.

Talbot, I'm sorry to hear about your "bad" experience. I do wish you came back to my beautiful country...if you ever do try to make it to less touristy areas such as Santiago and Santo Domingo.
 

purefolie

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Apr 1, 2005
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Sosua vendors

I totally agree with Joe. This is not attractive at all for tourists who want to come for a vacation on the beach and just relax. It is not about knowing how to deal with vendors, it's just it gets on your nerves when you have to repeat "no gracias, no necesito nada" every 2 meters, again and again! And it never stops! It happens when you are lying on the beach, sitting on a terrace, walking down the street.... even if you are not wearing the AI bracelets (you're white, you cannot hide it really easily...). People I know who have been in the Puerto Plata area are now going to Punta Cana for their next vacation because of that! They have loved DR, but not to be shout at on the streets.

First 2 weeks I was in Sosua, I wasn't that bothered, but after 2 months, God I was giving these vendors a wide berth!!! I could'nt bear to hear their "pssst pssst" and I learned to be really snob, to ignore and walk without looking at nobody, because if so they might think you are looking for something! I tried to choose different streets sometimes not to be bothered. I even changed beach! I couldn't just read my book on Sosua beach without being asked every 2 minutes for a pina colada or shrimps or coconut cookies. After 2 hours, I had read 2 pages.... So I went to the Waterfront beach instead, even if the beach isn't as nice, at least it is quiet....
Is that really normal we have to change our habits to avoid some street vendors??! :ermm:
 
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MrMike

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There are ways to deal with street vendors

The most effective technique for me is to completely ignore them, do your best immitation of holographic projection that cannot be made to notice the vendor.

This is my favorite because the pushy vendors will waste time trying to make you notice them and miss several potential customers chasing you.

Next up is waggling your finger in the "no" gesture with hardly a glance in their direction whilst walking like you are going somewhere.

This is only about 65% effective but it is better than actually paying attention to the vendor.

If you have the time to invest and plan to be around awhile stop and have a short conversation with each one. Once they get to know you and realise you are not a dumb tourist they may stop trying to sell you their worthless crap every time you are spotted.

As always, the best way not to get treated like a dumb tourist is not to be one.
 
Sep 19, 2005
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wow I must have been really lucky at Sosua.... I may get less hassle because I am a big guy...

The window cleaners at the lights in Santiago are a pain to me... half the time they get there in time for the light to change and just slow down traffic, plus they will start to clean your windshield when you are waving your finger no no no... I had jus cleaned my windows with windex and paper towels when i left the house and got into santiago only to have a kid come up...he went ahead anyway and messed up the windows after i told him DONT DO IT..... many times you dont even have time to dig for change so i pull away after he cleans it and telling I said NO... and he gives me this jesture that has my girl bent over in laughter.....he gives me the ELBOW, up in the air!!!!.... what does that mean?..it made her laugh though!!! so it was worth it. Lots of these kids are hatian, and most Dominicans I know hate the crap out of them...one kid came up to the car asking for change....I had started putting some in the little console spot.. and I had maybe 4 or 5, 5 peso coins.. I gave them to him and he just turns and walks away..I stuck my head out the window and yelled before he got too far and said... in my poor broken spanish'''''hey, tu habla gracias amigo.... and in shock he says...gracias... and i yell Denada... and he walks away with eyes as big as watermellons.....bob
 

MrMike

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Now the window cleaner guys are another matter entirely.

You are stuck at a stoplight with no way out if they decide to gang up on you.

Fortunately I have never heard of this happenning and I imagine if it ever did the public outrage would be very bad for the health of "stoplight people" in general.

I have been very tempted many times to have a little accident with some of them.

I love it when they throw the sponge from a distance, once I even got a green light and was able to drive off with the sponge.

Another time I managed to get the window down, grab the sponge and frisbee it off into the distance. In either case it's a dangerous game since you may be at that same light the next day and the window washer dudes always travel in groups.

Lately I have been able to just swivel the windshield washer nozel a little on the hood of my car so it gives them a little sprinkle when they come up close.

Helps them understand what "no" means.
 

MrMike

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Justsome quick math about the stoplight people in case anyone starts feeling sorry for them...

IF the stoplight changes once per minute and
IF the washer dude gets a 5 peso coin every light and
IF the washer dude puts in a standard DR 45 hour work week then:

5 pesos times
60 minutes per hour times
8 hours per day times
5 1/2 days a week times
52 weeks a year devided by
12 months a year

is about 30,000 pesos a month, a DR college graduate would be lucky to make that.

PLUS no income tax, no sales tax, no boss, no schedule.
 
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